The present invention relates to the field of computer systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of computer systems to facilitate document sharing for presentations and recording.
The growth in personal computer (PC) usage and internet connectivity has forged new and creative ways for individuals and businesses to communicate. Among these new methods include those which involve using video cameras to add video input to communication. Video cameras allow individuals and businesses to participate in activities such as video conferencing and document sharing.
In the past, document sharing among parties at remote locations involved the use of a document camera. The document camera captured images in its field of view. The images captured were transmitted as real-time video from the camera to viewers at remote locations. This approach was effective in presenting images to viewers at remote locations, however, it required a high bandwidth connection which was costly and not always available.
Other approaches taken to facilitate document sharing included using a device that captured a snap shot of an image in the field of view of the document camera and transmitted only the snap shot to viewers. This device was effective in conserving the amount of bandwidth required for data transmission. However, because only snap shots (frames of data) of an image were transmitted, the device was not effective in capturing the usage of a pointing mechanism used to point to locations in the image during a presentation or recording. This device also required its user to manually indicate when a next snap shot is to be taken and transmitted which often proved to be troublesome.
A method for managing data is disclosed. Data is captured from an image at a location. Whether the image is a new image is determined. The data is distributed if the image is the new image.